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With all that said there are numerous considerations
that need to be addressed and well thought out prior to finalizing a decision:
- What’s the mission? You need to decide what kind
of airplane is going to make you happy. If you’re reviewing my website, chances are you’re not interested
in a sleek, speedy airplane. You need to decide what the important factors are. Is it useful load, is it a STOL requirement,
is it flexibility of power plants, off field landing capability? These are questions only you can answer and you need
to develop a "mission statement" before you proceed.
- Once you have that in mind you should set some criteria to guide
you and if the kit doesn’t meet your criteria you should move on. No matter what your mission statement, there
are a few things that should apply no matter what. There should be a successful and well documented record of the airplane
flying. You do not want to be a test pilot, do not fall in love with a kit that has no history. Check the NTSB record
of the aircraft. You also need to check references: current builders and those that have completed and are flying.
If at all possible try and see the finished aircraft firsthand and fly it. Is it possible to visit with the people
who own the company? For me, seeing the aircraft was very important. When comparing different aircraft it is difficult
to see structural differences from pictures alone, actually seeing the aircraft was a major factor in finalizing my decision.
I know this isn’t always possible, so then you have to rely on the reference checks and all the written data you can
find.
- What are the financial and family considerations?
Finances: Only you can answer this and don’t
fool yourself. If you embark on this adventure you are going to spend some serious cash, not as much as a new airplane
would cost you, but serious cash nonetheless. You can probably double the actual kit cost. In all likelihood you
will spend at least that, if not more. The beauty is, you don’t have to come up with it all at once. Kits
can be bought in stages although doing it that way will cost more over the long haul due to extra shipping and crating
charges. You won’t need the engine or instruments for a while either. You don’t need expensive avionics
to get the airplane flying, that can be a work in progress. You will spend a lot on tools, easily $1000 or more.
As the project progresses you will spend a lot on "stuff" you need to keep going, from Aircraft Spruce or Wicks. There
is a good chance your engine will cost almost as much as the kit. So figure it out.
Family: This is bigger than finances.
This project is going to take you a long time. Some serious thought has to be given to your time frame and what your
goal is for completion. I gave myself three years (1000 to 1200 hours) and I’m quite sure I’m on track.
But I work on it all the time and average about 10 hours a week. There are many nights and weekends you simply
can’t do anything because of other obligations or you just need a break from it, then there are other weeks you can
spend 20 hours or more. If there are small children in the mix, you will not be able to average 10 hours a week and
have your wife keep her sanity. For me personally, it has been important to be persistent and keep it going on
a regular basis...it would be very easy to just look at it and dream. If you don’t mind a 7 or 10 year plan, go
for it. There are no rules in regard to when you have to finish, just be realistic in regard to your time frame. Be
honest with yourself and your personal history when it comes to lengthy, time consuming projects.
- Space considerations: No one could have a smaller space
than I do. My workshop is a single car garage that is 12’ by 20’, with a sloping roof at one end that makes me
knock my head. But it’s home and home is where you want to be, to travel to another site will complicate things
enormously and add significant time to an already lengthy project. I am able to do it, but it’s tight. I
do have a hangar that I can store components in as I finish them. Here’s how my project has progressed and will continue:
Fuselage with vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer, elevators and rudder completed in the garage, move it all to the
hangar; build the cabin in the garage; stack the tables in the garage, move the fuselage back to the garage and connect it
to the cabin, get it on the landing gear, move the entire thing back to the hangar; set up the tables again and build the
right wing, move it to the hangar, build the left wing; move it to the hangar and fit the wings to the fuselage/cabin, remove
the wings and leave them in the hangar; move the fuselage/cabin etc back to the garage (get rid of the tables) and hang the
engine, install instruments and as much of the controls as you can without having the wings on, move everything back to the
hangar, paint everything, hang the wings, connect the controls, taxi test and fly. VERY COMPLICATED, because I have
no space. I know of other builders that have a ton of space and can do it all in one location, at home, what a luxury
that is. I did build a temporary 6’ extension on the front of my garage after finishing the cabin, there was just
no space and I would not have been able to hang the engine at home if I didn’t do that. Plywood, 2x4’s, roof shingles
and some paint so the neighbors wouldn’t shoot me. I constructed it so the front comes off in two, four foot sections
so I can wheel the airplane in and out when necessary.
- Join the EAA and find your local EAA Chapter and learn some
basics. Find someone who is building that you can spend an afternoon with and walk you through some of the tools
and how they are used. Do some riveting with a blind rivet puller. Buck some rivets, both dome head and flush.
Dimple some holes and get a feel for the tools. A member of my EAA group who is building an RV-8, Mike Draper, was kind
enough to do this for me and it filled in a lot of blanks. Members of your local EAA group have
a wealth of knowledge and experience so take advantage of it. They probably have some pretty nifty tools too.
So now you're ready to go.
You ordered all the tools you need from the Tool List section and you're patiently
waiting for them to arrive. You need a table or tables to build the plane on. BushCaddy reccommends a table 4'
wide and 14' long. You can build your own or otherwise find a table, the key is that it must be flat. Check
out the lumber you are using for the support structure, in order for the table to be flat, that lumber must have a straight
edge, so it may require trimming.
I know some EAA builders who use LVL (laminated veneer lumber) as the support
structure. It is very strong and will not bow over time.
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| Hardware Organizers |
I use two tables. One 8' long, the other 6'. This was very helpful
when attaching the cabin to the fuselage. I was able to space the tables apart and work underneath in the space between
the two. Being able to do so made attaching the rear float mounts and riveting the bottom section of the cabin to the
fuselage a much easier process. I also did not build my tables. I am in the property management business
and a tenant with very nice lab tables went bankrupt so I was able to get several well made, flat tables.
Install the screw in type adjusters on the bottom of each leg so you can
easily level the table.
You also need to get organized.
Get a couple of hardware organizers at Lowes or Home Depot. I got two,
each one is about 14" wide and 18" high. There are thirty, 2" x 1.5" drawers and twelve, 4" x 2" drawers.
These will hold all the various hardware items as well as many different varieties of blind rivets.
For the solid rivets, I used a fisherman's fly holder. These have a
cover that snaps closed and dividers so you can create the proper size space for the rivets. The inside of the cover
can be labelled appropriately so you know which rivet is where at a glance.
I can't tell you how important it is to organize in this fashion. I
did not do it to start out and spent an amazing amount of time looking though all the various plastic envelopes that BushCaddy
sent me. It becomes very time consuming. Set yourself up so you can see at a glance what you need. This
way it's also easy to tell if you're getting low on something.
Organize your tools as well. Hang them on the wall if possible where
you can see them. I have one wall set up with plywood and two shelves. I used the plywood from the kit packing
crate for this purpose. You cannot use the packing crate plywood for your tables. It is the same quality as roof
underlayment and will not make a nice flat surface for the building table. Much of the time, my shelves and wall tool hangers
are not exactly well organized but I know everything I need is there.
After beginning the wings I started wearing a tool holster.
There are certain things you need all the time: the metric tape measure, the ultra fine sharpie, the 6" metal ruler,
cleco pliers and several other items. When they're in a holster, they are always where you need them. I can't
tell you how much time is spent looking for a tool you had in your hand five minutes ago.
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| Solid Rivet Organizer |
The first week.
OK, so you're real nervous and sweaty because you are going to start.
Calm down, when the first week is over you will be shocked at how comfortable you feel. First...read the first section
of the plans, let's say the first ten pages, three times. The first time just look and flip. Spend a few more
minutes each time. You will be amazed how you pick it up.
Before you start, go to the Reference section of this website and read
up on the AN hardware and drill bit sizes. Print out the Workshop Reference Guide and post it in your work area.
Those two pages have an abundance of basic information that you will refer to all the time. There are other reference
materials that focus more on AN hardware. It isn't hard to understand and you'll get the hang of it quickly. Basically
an AN 3 bolt is 3/16, an AN 4 bolt is 1/4, an AN 5 bolt is 5/16...and so on.
When you start reading the plans and you see they call for a 412 rivet, that
means the hole it goes in, must be dimpled (or countersunk) because a 412 rivet is a flush rivet. Same goes for a AN426
solid rivet.
Primarily you will be using 410 rivets, thousands of them. Also, primarily,
95% of the rivets you use will be 1/8". For these you use a #30 drill bit. The hole made by a #30 drill
bit is slightly larger than 1/8". This is to allow you to get the rivet in the hole without fighting with it.
The rivet will fill the hole when pulled (blind rivet) or bucked (solid rivet). You can find a numbered bit that is
slightly larger than any rivet you have.
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| Shop Tools |
A word on drilling and drill bits. Everyone has an opinion and their
own method of doing things. The only numbered drill bit I use is a #30, all the other bits I use are the dimensioned
bits: 3/32 for a 3/32 hole, 3/16 for a 3/16 hole, etc. This has worked well for me. Other builders may use all
numbered bits. Some builders pre drill all holes in a smaller size first, 3/32 for 1/8, etc. I do not. I
drill a #30 bit for all 1/8th holes. I do change my #30 bits frequently however. For the larger holes, 3/16
and 1/4 I do often drill a smaller size first, depending on the location and what is being fastened.
All holes must be deburred. Deburring is a loathsome activity
but a very necessary one. There is a fine line between deburrring a hole and taking off too much metal, just a flip
of the tool to get the edge down is all that's necessary. I primarily use the 6" speed deburring tool which you can
find on the tool list. On the wings, there are so many holes, I put the bit from the tool in a light
electric drill and went to town with that. There are many locations you can't fit the tool, that's where the nifty homemade
deburr tool below comes in. Jamie McKinley (R 120 Builder/New Brunswick) invented this one. It is a dremel bit
super glued into a Bic pen shaft. This is great for getting underneath the flange on a wing rib or inside a stringer.
Just give it a spin on the drill hole and the bit's sharp edges will knock the burrs off.
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| Homemade Deburr Tool |
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